A 38-year-old woman allegedly drove a Jaguar XF through the glass entrance of La Ciotat’s Paul-Éluard municipal pool on Dec. 11, sending the car into the 25-metre indoor pool with her 5-year-old daughter inside. Two lifeguards and a bystander dove in and freed the pair; firefighters and police secured the scene. Neither appears to have been seriously injured, though both were taken to hospital in shock. The pool will remain closed for several weeks while crews remove the vehicle and make repairs.
Mother Drives Jaguar Through Glass Into Indoor Pool With 5-Year-Old Inside — Lifeguards Rescue Them
gettyStock photo of a car; stock photo of an indoor pool
A 38-year-old woman drove a Jaguar XF through the glass entrance of the Paul-Éluard municipal swimming pool in La Ciotat, southern France, on the evening of Dec. 11, plunging the vehicle into the facility’s 25-metre indoor pool with her 5-year-old daughter still inside.
Local officials say the crash occurred at about 9 p.m. Photos released after the incident show the car resting on the bottom of the pool beneath the lane ropes, its rear doors open and an airbag deployed. According to the municipality and local reporting, emergency crews suspect the driver may have confused the accelerator and brake pedals.
Rapid Rescue
The Bouches-du-Rhône Interdepartmental Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS) and the city of La Ciotat reported that two lifeguards, aided by a bystander, immediately dove into the pool and freed the mother and child from the sinking vehicle. "Thanks to the quick intervention of two lifeguards and one person, the occupants were able to be removed from the vehicle, and there were no victims to be reported," the city wrote on Facebook.
Firefighters, national and municipal police secured the scene while rescue teams assisted the pair. Though neither appeared to have serious physical injuries, both were taken to a nearby hospital and were reported to be suffering from shock.
Aftermath and Investigation
The municipality said crews will extract the vehicle and repair the damaged glass and facility, leaving the pool closed for several weeks. Fire and rescue teams continue to investigate the exact circumstances of the crash, including whether pedal confusion was a factor.
Key facts: A 38-year-old woman and her 5-year-old daughter were rescued from a Jaguar that crashed into an indoor pool in La Ciotat. Lifeguards and a bystander carried out the rescue; emergency services secured the scene and both occupants were taken to hospital for evaluation.
